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Former WBO Heavyweight Champion Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich is primed and set to challenge defending champion Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius for the WBO and WBA Inter-Continental titles, next Saturday (Aug. 27) in a 12-round bout airing live in the United States from Efurt, Germany on the EPIX cable network.

Liakhovich (25-3, 16 KOs), who lives in Arizona, departs this Saturday for Germany, where Helenius resides. An impressive victory against Helenius (15-0, 10 KOs) — WBO #2, IBF #3, WBA #9, IBF #13 – will set the stage for a major showdown with either of the current world title holders, Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko. (more…)

Undefeated welterweight prospect Ronald Cruz, of Bethlehem, PA, takes the biggest step of his young professional career when he takes on steel-chinned Anges Adjaho, of Buffalo, NY, in a scheduled eight-round contest Friday evening, Sept. 9, at the Asylum Arena, 7 West Ritner Street.

The Cruz-Adjaho contest will serve as the semifinal to the 10-round main event which features King Gabriel Rosado, of Philadelphia, against Keenan Collins, of Reading, PA, for the vacant Pennsylvania State junior middleweight championship. (more…)

WBA Light Middleweight champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout (23-0, 13 KOs) and his promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, say they are aggravated and disgusted by former world champion Anthony Mundine’s claims that it was them who backed out of a proposed fight. Mundine recently announced a deal to face Rigoberto Alvarez on September 21 for the WBA interim championship.

“I don’t mind he ducked me to fight somebody else, but don’t go to the press and say it’s the other way around. At least let’s be honest if you don’t want to fight me,” said a still incredulous Trout. “Fight me or admit it’s you who doesn’t want to fight. Stop pretending. I’ll fight you any time.” (more…)

From Anderson and Royce to Wanderlei and Lyoto, “The Phenom” to “The King of The Streets,” the history of Brazilian fighters in the UFC is a rich one. With UFC RIO approaching on August 27th, let’s take a “by the numbers” look at the fighters who have made the Octagon a second home . . . Click here for more by Thomas Gerbasi, UFC.com

On September 3 in San Luis Potosi (Mexico) Promociones del Puebo, Grupo Modelo and Comex will present a card featuring Marco Antonio “Veneno” Rubio, the official challenger to WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The bout will be a twelve-rounder for the WBC Latin title against Ghanaian Mohammed Akrong (13-3, 10 KOs).

The fights will take place in conjunction with the prestigious “Quien Pinta pra la Corona?” tournament with Mexican prospects Jose ‘Piston’ Lopez, Mauricio Pintor, Luis Vázquez and Edgar Monarrez among others.

WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm has repeatedly claimed that a contract for a rematch has been sent to Matthew Macklin and he has accused his Irish rival of ducking out of a possible return bout. Sturm’s own promotional company even went so far as to design a poster for a proposed rematch in Cologne in November. However, Macklin’s team claims they have yet to see any contract for the rematch and believes that the whole exercise is a publicity stunt designed to make it look like Sturm is pursuing the rematch when in reality the German wants no part of it. (more…)

WBC super flyweight champion Tomas “Gusano” Rojas, is in Srisaket, Thailand, where on Friday will defend his belt against local favorite Rungvisai Suriyan Sor. Rojas (36-12-1, 24 KOs) will make the third defense of his title in his second spell as world champion against Rungvisai (18-5-1, 7 KOs) at the Khunmuangsri Stadium in Muang.

WBC President Jose Suliaman, presented today in his weekly conference, the belt that accredits Salvador Sanchez II as the new WBC CARIBBEAN BOXING FEDERATION (CABOFE) champion. Sanchez (25-4-3, 14 KOs), who was accompanied by his manager, Grant Elvis Phillips, won a third round TKO over Adan Garcia (15-5-1, 11 KOs) to claim the vacant title on Saturday night at the Deportivo Tlalli, Tlalnepantla, Mexico.

Bantamweight contender Victor “Vikingo” Terrazas (30-2-1, 17 KOs) has signed a three year agreement with Zanfer Promotions. Terrazas, a 28-year-old native of Guadalajara, is the reigning NABA titlist and the official challenger for WBA bantamweight champion Rico Ramos. Details of Terrazas’ debut under the Zanfer banner will be announced soon.

WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico City gets welcomed to Los Angeles Tuesday by WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios and world-ranked featherweight Mikey Garcia. Marquez was in town today to shoot the promotional assets for his upcoming world championship mega fight against superstar Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao vs Marquez will be held, November 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and televised live on HBO Pay Per View. (more…)

“I am pleased to see that the International Boxing Federation, the organization that sanctioned the world championship match between IBF champion Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, took such swift action in ordering an immediate rematch. They wasted no time in determining that Russell Mora, the referee assigned to Agbeko vs. Mares, was in violation of their rules by displaying “inappropriate conduct” for ignoring repeated low blows against my fighter, Joseph Agbeko.

“I commend IBF President Daryl Peoples and IBF Championship Chariman Lindsey Tucker for confirming what everyone who witnessed the bout already knew. Too often, the first inclination when human frailty is exposed is to sweep it under the rug as though it never happened. It is to their credit that Mr. Peoples and Mr. Tucker confirmed that when obvious mistakes are made, it’s best to recognize them and attempt to immediately right the wrongs. (more…)

IBF President Daryl Peoples and IBF Championships Chairman Lindsey Tucker completed their review of the IBF Optional Bantamweight Championship bout that took place on August 13, 2011 in Las Vegas, NV, between Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares. Peoples and Tucker observed several low blow fouls committed by Abner Mares. While the referee, Russell Mora, issued numerous warnings for low blows during the course of the bout, he neglected to deduct points for these fouls. With 1:03 left in round eleven, Joseph Agbeko was hit with a low blow foul that forced him to the canvas. Mr. Mora determined that the blow landed by Mares was legal and began to count indicating that a knockdown had occurred.

Based upon their review of the bout, it has been determined by the IBF that inappropriate conduct by the referee affected the outcome of the fight. In accordance with IBF/USBA Rule 3.D., the IBF is ordering a rematch between Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares for the IBF Bantamweight title which must be held within the next 120 days or by December 14, 2011.

The WBA Championships Committee performed a purse bid this Tuesday morning, at World Boxing Association Office in Panama City, Panama. The purse bid was directed by WBA Executive Vice President, Gilberto Jesus Mendoza. The purse bid was for the WBA Featherweight title, between Jonathan Barros and Celestino Caballero. O.R. Promotions CEO Osvaldo Rivero, representing Barros, submitted an offer of $401,666.00. Promociones y Eventos del Istmo CEO Rogelio Espiño, representing Caballero, offered $305,000. Per WBA rules, the champion will received 75% of the purse and the challenger 25%. The minimum purse bid was set at $120,000 dollars. O.R. Promotions offered Mendoza, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Panama as possible sites. The fight must be done in no less than 45 days and no more than 90 days.

Great fight, pity about the refereeing. Russell Mora, normally a sound official, had a bad night last night in his handling of the thrilling bantamweight title bout on Showtime that saw Abner Mares, aided by what appeared to be benevolent refereeing, defeat Joseph Agbeko by majority decision. There was no real argument about who had scored the greater number of points. The computer statistics showed that Mares had thrown and landed more punches and landed more power punches — a “power” punch being anything other than a jab.

The controversy, of course, comes from the number of low blows that Mares landed without penalty and specifically from the blatantly low left hook in the 11th round that had Agbeko sinking to the canvas and which was ruled a legitimate knockdown blow by the referee. The 11th round incident was crucial. Agbeko was coming on strongly, but the knockdown ruling switched a likely 10-9 round for Agbeko to a 10-8 round for Mares. While Mares might have won the bout in any case — and he fought and boxed well in the 12th — what would otherwise have been a tremendous victory over a very tough and worthy champion is now clouded in controversy. (more…)

Word is MSC/RDS Boxing will be teaming up with Gary Shaw Productions on September 9th at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota, to make what was already an exciting local card into a national event as Showtime’s “Shobox: The New Generation” will be broadcasting live as #1 world ranked cruiserweight Lateef Kayode takes on Felix Cora Jr in the 10 rounder.

Leading into the live television broadcast will be a huge Minnesota vs. Minnesota main event as Duluth’s Gary Eyer (8-1-1) battles Minneapolis’ Jeremy “Lights Out” McLaurin (8-2) in an 8 round featherweight bout.

Chicago’s David Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) has his wife to Tonya to thank when he appears in the co-featured bout of the final episode of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” 2011 season, this Friday, August 19, at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. The Former WBC lightweight world champion and 1996 U.S. Olympian had all but retired from boxing. (more…)

The Purse Bid to determine the promoter of the rematch between the Argentinian world champion Jonathan Victor Barros and former WBA/IBF 122lb champion Celestino “Pelenchín” Caballero of Panama will take place today at WBA Headquarters in Panama with WBA Executive Vice President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza presiding. The rematch was ordered due to the controversial split decision on July 2 in Mendoza, Argentina where Barros retained the featherweight crown in his second defense.

Last Saturday at the Convention Center in Acapulco, featherweight contender Rogers Mtagwa (27-14-2, 19 KOs) returned with an eighth round TKO over Pedro Navarrete (26-13-3, 15 KOs). It was Mtagwa’a first fight in more than a year-and-a-half after two world title attempts. In October 2009, he nearly defeated Juan Manual “Juanma” Lopez for the WBO featherweight title. He returned just three months later and taken out in two by Yuriorkas Gamboa for the WBA featherweight belt. “Since 2000, I’ve been in the USA,” said Mtagwa. “I have always had to face tough opponents. I’ve worked hard all these years. I hope to get a new opportunity for a world title. I’ve earned it with my efforts and when that fight arrives I’ll fight with all my strength.”

The Ultimate Fighting Championship® announced today that it has reached a multi-year sponsorship renewal agreement with Harley-Davidson. The world’s most famous motorcycle maker, which first became a core sponsor of the UFC® in 2008, will continue to be featured across multiple platforms including Pay-Per-View and television broadcasts, online, and in the UFC’s famed Octagon®. (more…)

Team Sauerland and SES Boxing have announced a special media tour featuring WBO Super Middleweight Champion Robert Stieglitz and three-time world champion Mikkel Kessler, who will collide at Copenhagen’s PARKEN Stadium on November 5. There will be press conferences in Berlin and Copenhagen.

As a professional boxing judge for the past 12 years, I am often asked by my “non-boxing” friends just how exactly do I score a fight. I am quick to remind them that I do not score a fight; I “judge” a fight; I “score” a round.

What exactly is meant by that is that each 3 minute block of time is viewed and scored independently of the others. Only in that way can each round be scored in an unbiased, objective and fair way. How the collective scoring of each round that I judge may be totaled should not be of concern to me as that responsibility of tabulating the individual round scores from each of the three judges falls to the supervisor at ringside. (more…)

The World Boxing Council has confirmed that its 49th Annual World Convention will take place at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, from December 11 to 17 in what is expected to be the highest attendance ever to a boxing convention. The WBC will also open its doors to boxing fans that want to live the experience of a great convention in which representatives of 164 countries of the world will meet for a week, which will be full of workshops, as well as special events with the presence of 50 of the greatest champions in the history of boxing. The Mandalay Bay is thrilled to host this WBC boxing convention and has published a rate of $74 dollars a day during this week.

Junior middleweight contender Alfonso Gomez (23-4-2, 12 KOs) of Anaheim, California by way of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, continues his preparations, under the guidance of his father Alfonso Gomez Sr. and Mario ‘Yuca’ Morales, former trainer of the late 2-division world champion Edwin Valero, at the Azteca Boxing Club in Bell, California, for his upcoming fight against WBC junior middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (37-0-1, 27 KOs) that will take place on Saturday September 17th at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California as part of the split-site HBO Pay-Per-View telecast that features the return of arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) as he looks to reclaim what was once his, the WBC welterweight title from current belt holder Victor Ortiz live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fight card titled ‘Star Power’ is being presented by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions. For more details and photos click here….

Amid great fanfare, WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (43-0-1, 30 KOs) announced his first title defense against Ronald Hearns (26-2, 20 KOs) on September 17 at the Palenque de Culiacán. Accompanied by his father, the legendary member of the Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez, Chavez Jr. welcomed Ronald, son of the legendary Tommy Hearns.

Chavez: “This fight is very important to me, fighting at home and will always be special to defend my World Championship, I have trained hard and will do even more to give my people a nice evening this September 17 against a good opponent like Hearns.”

Hearns: “I feel fortunate that I have been given this opportunity, I am the son of a legend, which has not been easy, but Chavez Jr. showed me that dreams can be fulfilled and that will come on September 17. I’m not worried aboyt the judges, I will come and do my job.” (more…)

Television networks and all boxing fans in general are captivated by a knockout puncher. Enter unbeaten heavyweight Amir “Hardcore” Mansour (14-0, 11 KOs), of Wilmington, Delaware by way of Penns Grove, New Jersey. Mansour has explosively knocked out his last eight opponents, four of which took place at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, where he will step up to face Dominick “The Southern Disaster” Guinn (33-7-1, 22 KOs) this Friday night. “Dominic Guinn is a good fighter and a strong veteran who is going to bring his “A” game. I am looking forward to this fight,” said Mansour. Mansour and Guinn will fight for the interim NABO Intercontinental heavyweight title, with the winner garnering a top-15 ranking in the WBO, the NABO’s parent organization. (more…)

Famed Florida referee Brian Garry has harsh comments on the officiating in Saturday’s SHOWTIME-televised Bantamweight Tournament Final between Abner Mares and King Kong Agbeko. In comments directed to the Nevada Boxing Commission, Garry wrote

“Some can. Some can’t. As a professional world class boxing referee for 25 years inside the square circle, I was very displeased to watch Russell Mora’s inept ability to ‘make the call’ on Saturday night.

“He was in the right positions to see the blows, especially the low blow in the 11th, that possibly cost Joseph Agbeka the bout. What compounded his lack of making the right call, was his post fight denial, after viewing the re-play, of his decision? That shows us, that he is either corrupt and refused to be fair in his ‘third man’ assignment. Or, he is incompetent while under pressure to do the right job. I witnessed, in disbelief, an official refusing to call the obvious fouls being committed by Mares over and over again. (more…)